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These days, detoxify can mean to free (someone) from a substance addiction (and yes, it's the source of detox, a more recent word that also refers to getting drugs or alcohol out of a person's system). Originally, however, detoxification was something done to things rather than to people. In its earliest uses - from about 1905 - detoxify referred to the removal of poison, or of poisonous or damaging properties, from a harmful substance, or to the removal of poisonous or toxic substances from something contaminated (such as the bloodstream).The specific application to removing poison from an addict is relatively new, dating to the mid-20th century. Today, detoxify is also often used generally in reference to counteracting the activity or effect of anything harmful (such as propaganda).
Examples of detoxify in a Sentence
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
In Costa Rica, Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Collection offers the River Bath — an aura cleansing ritual that involves a detoxifying scrub and a warm herbal soak to a soundtrack of birdsong and flowing water.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
Specialist herbivores that feed on specific plants likely evolve metabolic countermeasures to detoxify or otherwise bypass chemical defenses of their hosts.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026
While some people claim lemon juice and olive oil can detoxify your body, improve digestion, treat kidney stones and joint pain, and prevent premature aging and cardiovascular disease, no evidence supports these health claims.
—Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for detoxify
Cite this Entry
“Detoxify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detoxify. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
detoxify
verb
J. M. Markham
